The New York Knicks (4-12) look to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (4-12) on Friday, November 28. The Knicks dropped both games to the Thunder last season. However, they lead the Thunder 63-59 in their all-time matchups (www.landofbasketball.com). Most of those games were from when the Thunder were known as the Seattle Super Sonics. The Knicks led that series 60-51, which means that the Knicks have only won three games out of the last 11 matchups against Oklahoma City. This game should be interesting due to the fact that both teams are fighting to get to .500.
Both teams have only won one game out of their last five and are without their star players Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks) and Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder). The Thunder had a grueling start to their season. They were hit with the injury bug early on in the season, which led them to be down eight players from their roster. Nonetheless, they are getting their players back and should be reaching full strength soon. Russell Westbrook will make his return against the Knicks after suffering a broken right hand. He will start, and he won't have a minutes restriction, according to The Oklahoman.
The Knicks have also had their fair share of early injuries. Jose Calderon, the Knicks starting point guard, missed the first 13 games of the season. He returned on Saturday, November 22, and had a major game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. However, shortly after his return, the Knicks lost Carmelo Anthony to back spasms. Anthony has been having a great individual season, but his play hasn't led the Knicks to many wins. He's doubtful to play in Friday night's matchup against the Thunder.
The Knicks will have to play another tough game. They will definitely be looking to protect the paint in this game, as their bigs attempt to battle Serge Ibaka. They will also look to stop Russell Westbrook from driving to the basket. Their biggest issue so far is defending perimeter players. They have not been able to stop teams from shooting an efficient amount of threes. They did a better job during their last game against the Dallas Mavericks, but that was in a losing effort. Although they are struggling on the defensive end, their offensive game has improved.
However, the Knicks need to limit their turnovers and get efficient production from Amar'e Stoudemire and J.R. Smith. Jose Calderon will have to lead them in the offense as he is their most efficient offensive player at the moment. He should look to continue to knock down threes, as he did in their last game and if he does, it should open up the inside game so Amar'e could go to work. Iman Shumpert should also look to get some shots. He has been stuggling lately, as he is only averaging 6.8 points throughout his last four games. He was an offensive threat for the Knicks early on, but his production has dropped on the offensive side. He should look to attack more when he has the ball.
All-in-all, the Knicks need an overall team effort. Players need to step up in the absence of Carmelo Anthony to make up for the lack of scoring.
The New York Knicks will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. This will be the final game of their three-game road trip before they start their three-game home stand.